Trusting its long-term relationship with Marel has paid off for Swedish salmon smokehouse Falkenberg Laxrökeri, which claims to have improved yield significantly by switching to an I-Cut 10 PortionCutter.
Located in Sweden, the Falkenberg Laxrökeri smokehouse was established in 1980 by local couple Gunnel and Per-Arne Korshag. With 41 employees, Falkenberg processes 900t of salmon each year as both warm and cold-smoked products, along with 600t of other fish such as mackerel and herring. Falkenberg’s largest market by far is Sweden, where it sells mainly to wholesalers and supermarkets.
In 2011, Falkenberg added a Marel I-Cut 10 PortionCutter to its processing line, a decision that has since paid dividends in a number of ways.
“This portion cutter is more accurate than the one we had before, which means that we get a substantially better yield on our salmon products,” explains Falkenberg managing director and owner Niklas Korshag, son of the company’s founders. “And as yield performance and economy go hand-in-hand, the increased yield means that we have had a very reasonable payback time on the machine”.
Mr Korshag believes that the trend among consumers in Sweden, as in many other countries, is focusing increasingly on exercise and healthy eating. And as fish products are part of a healthy diet, this can work to his company’s advantage.
“However”, he continues, “there is also a greater focus on stock levels. Consumers are aware that fish resources aren’t unlimited, and it is important that we producers live up to our sustainability claims. This means that we must make the most of the products we produce, and the I-Cut 10 plays a vital part in this, as its great cutting accuracy ensures that we utilise our products to the full”.
